Pennsylvania, Chester County, near West Chester
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After the July 1863 Battle of Gettysburg, over 2,000 Union prisoners were held at a makeshift camp here, awaiting exchange for Confederate prisoners. Retreating armies often issued battlefield paroles to captured enemy soldiers, who were then held by their own army. The community welcomed these men and tended the injured for several weeks until the Federal government declared the paroles invalid and returned the prisoners to their regiments.
(Notable Places • War, US Civil) Includes location, directions, 3 photos, GPS coordinates, map.
After the July 1863 Battle of Gettysburg, over 2,000 Union prisoners were held at a makeshift camp here, awaiting exchange for Confederate prisoners. Retreating armies often issued battlefield paroles to captured enemy soldiers, who were then held by their own army. The community welcomed these men and tended the injured for several weeks until the Federal government declared the paroles invalid and returned the prisoners to their regiments.
(Notable Places • War, US Civil) Includes location, directions, 3 photos, GPS coordinates, map.